


Snow in July

by Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow



Series: Patchwork Family [2]
Category: Hadestown - Mitchell
Genre: F/M, I'm Bad At Tagging, can you tell how much I hate demeter?, hades plays crossy road, hermes reads martha stewart, i'm actually really excited about this, it's very chaotic if you couldn't already tell
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:50:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21740908
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow/pseuds/Theonewhobloomsinthebittersnow
Summary: Eurydice wakes Orpheus up at 4 am because it's snowing in the middle of July. Chaos ensues.
Relationships: Eurydice/Orpheus (Hadestown), Hades/Persephone (Hadestown)
Series: Patchwork Family [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1667569
Comments: 2
Kudos: 41





	Snow in July

**Author's Note:**

> Enjoy! (Also, you're welcome for the little notes I added in... I really can't help myself) I'm so excited, Phoenix is going to be in everything I write now.

“Poet, wake up. We have a problem.” Those were the exact words that Orpheus did not want to hear first thing in the morning, especially at the crack of dawn,  _ especially _ during the summer. He made a disgruntled noise and glanced at the clock through his half-shut eyes. 

“It’s four in the morning,” he mumbled, burying his face in his pillow. “What could be so important at four in the morning?” He felt something thump against the back of his head and realized it was a slipper, just as the other one cuffed him on the ear.

“Ok, ok, I’m getting up,” he sat up and rubbed his eyes. “What’s the emergency?” 

“It’s snowing,” Eurydice said, from where she was standing next to the window. 

“It’s what?” He asked, suddenly feeling much more awake. “It’s the middle of July.”

“Exactly,” she answered, grimly. Orpheus scrambled out of bed and went to join his wife by the window. It was indeed snowing. Fat, white, flakes were falling from the sky and all the roofs in their neighborhood were covered in white. 

“But,” Orpheus turned to look at Eurydice  _ (I’m not sorry. Suffer) _ “we literally saw her last night. Besides, that’s not how this works, it doesn’t just start snowing the minute she gets on the train, why would this be any different?” Eurydice shrugged,

“Maybe they’re fighting again?” She offered, trying to come up with some sort of reason for this. “Either way, I’m gonna go downstairs. You coming?” Orpheus nodded, and the two left their apartment and hurried to the bar downstairs, hoping for some answers. When they got there, however, all they found were three very confused gods and a sleepy little girl.

“You’re here?” Eurydice asked, gaping at Persephone as Orpheus picked up Phoenix, who was dozing on top of the bar. 

“Trust me songbird, I’m here, and just as confused as you are,” Persephone said sitting down on a barstool.

“Well, can’t you at least stop the snow?” Eurydice asked, glancing out the window again where the snow had seemed to get thicker in the five minutes it had taken to walk down from their apartment. 

“Don’t you think I’ve tried that already?” Persephone said, giving her a look. Eurydice shrugged and perched on top of the table Orpheus had sat down at. 

“So what are you saying?” Orpheus asked, “Are you out of magic or something?” Persephone looked tired as she shook her head.

“No,” she said, running her hands over her face. “But this isn’t my magic it’s someone else’s and I can’t control that.”

“Could it be Zeus?” Hermes asked, “Mad at Hera about something she did to one of his ‘secret’ girlfriends.”

“I doubt it,” Hades said. “My brother isn’t that smart, but he knows better than to make it snow in the middle of July.” 

“Who else controls the weather though?” Eurydice asked. All three gods seemed to come to the same conclusion at the same time. Hades sighed and rolled his eyes, Hermes stepped a few paces away from Persephone, who looked like she was going to break something.  
“I’m going to kill her!” She snapped. 

“Mayb- aaand she’s gone,” Hades said, as Persephone stormed out the door of the bar, smoke practically coming out of her ears. All five of them hurried to follow her, Eurydice hastily grabbing Phoenix’s coat. When they got to the car, Persephone stopped them before they got inside. 

“Ok, here’s the deal. I’m driving, I’m going fast, and I’m going to curse,” she glanced at Phoenix who was watching with interest, her head resting on Orpheus’s shoulder. “Well, maybe I won’t curse that much. Anyway, you have five seconds to decide if you’re coming or not, deal?” Hades shrugged and said,

“Shotgun,” as he climbed into the old station wagon. The other four climbed in the back, resigned to a very bumpy trip. 

It actually wasn’t as bad as anyone thought it would be, mostly because the snow was too slippery to go anything above 20 mph, at least on the back roads which hadn’t been plowed yet. Persephone drove as fast as she could, gripping the wheel so tightly her knuckles were turning white and muttering to herself all the while. Hades seemed perfectly at ease and appeared to be playing Crossy Road on his phone for most of the trip. Hermes stared out the window clearly thinking about something else. By the time they got on the highway and Persephone could go faster, Eurydice was asleep with her head on Orpheus’s shoulder and Phoenix was asleep with her head on Hermes’s shoulder. Orpheus was beginning to drift off himself when the sudden acceleration  _ (hah, physics)  _ of the car jerked him awake, and he spent the rest of the drive holding onto Eurydice rather tightly, as he could barely ride roller coasters and Persephone’s driving was certainly not doing him any favors. By the time they reached the farmhouse where Persephone had grown up, Orpheus was visibly shaking as he continued to hang onto Eurydice, who had somehow slept through everything. 

“Everybody out,” Seph said, parking the car. “Here goes nothin’.” She squared her shoulders and stormed up to the front porch, simultaneously banging on the door and beckoning for the other five to join her. As soon as they were all on the porch the door flew open to reveal a woman who had grey hair pulled back into a bun and was practically radiating vegan energy. 

“Seph!” She said, sweeping forward to embrace her daughter. Her eyes traveled over all of them landing on Hades as her smile turned rather mocking. “I see the whole gang is here,”  _ (you are the worst, Burr. Sorry, sorry, I had to)  _ she said surveying them condescendingly. “I suppose I should invite you in.” She opened the door and let the five of them pass, sneering at Hades as he walked by. 

“ _ Lovely _ to see you, Demeter,” Hades said almost managing to keep all the sarcasm out of his voice. Eurydice turned her snort into a badly disguised cough as Demeter stared daggers at her. They entered into a homey sitting room with a worn-out couch and a couple of well-loved armchairs. Hades and Persephone retreated into a corner already in the midst of a whispered conversation. Hermes picked up a Martha Stewart Christmas magazine from a side table as he went over to the couch, looking perfectly at ease even with Phoenix still asleep in his arms. Orpheus and Eurydice hovered on the edge of the room, not sure where to sit. Hermes nodded towards the space next to him, and they gratefully scurried over, sitting rather stiffly. At that moment Hades and Persephone finished their whispered conversation, and she kissed him on the cheek before turning to her mother. 

“Can we talk upstairs?” Seph said to her mother, clearly not really asking. Demeter sighed,

“You know how rude it is to keep guests waiting,” she said. Persephone ground her teeth in response.

“Mother,” she started, clearly trying to keep her temper under control. “I think it would be best if we talked upstairs.”

“Nonsense,” Demeter said. “They came all this way, I’d hate to deprive them of entertainment, especially this early in the morning.” Persephone opened her mouth to say something and then, seeming to decide it was best to keep quiet, closed it again as she sat down in a chair.

“Now then,” Demeter said, her tone suddenly business-like. “What’s the reason for this surprise visit?” 

“Are you serious?” Persephone gestured to the snow outside looking incredulous. “You basically sent for us! In the most dramatic way possible I’d like to add.” 

“Oh darling, don’t worry, this isn’t about you,” Demeter said, giving Seph a sickly sweet smile. Persephone rolled her eyes,

“Trust me,” she said. “I know what it’s about.” Demeter’s smile became rather fixed. 

“So you know why I’m unhappy, but you still continue to do the thing that I’m unhappy about?” She asked, her voice rising slightly.

“As I’ve said before, my relationship is none of your concern,” Persephone said, her voice rising to meet the same volume as Demeter’s.

“You are my daughter, Kore,” Persephone winced slightly, Demeter seemed not to notice. “And you know that I know what’s best for you. Now, I am telling you to do something and you are ignoring me. That’s not how you treat your mother, is it?” Persephone had that look on her face like steam was going to come out of her ears again. She stood up, and while the two women were the same height, Persephone seemed to be huge in her anger. 

“Mother, I’ve said this before. I am not a child anymore. I know what’s best for me and I know that better than anyone. The only thing you’re going to accomplish by acting this way is losing me.” Demeter took a step forward.  
“Oh, I see,” She said, her voice growing louder. “Little Kore’s growing up faster than her mommy can handle. By all means, if you want to make this mistake go ahead, but don’t come crying back to me when it ends with your heart being broken.” Persephone’s face went red, and her hands clenched into fists.

“You-” But before she could say anything else, Phoenix, who everyone had assumed was still asleep, slid of Hermes’s lap and skipped over to Demeter. Without hesitation, she kicked the goddess as hard as she could in the ankle and yelled, 

“Hey!” As loud as her little voice would let her. Eurydice had to clap a hand over her mouth to muffle her laughter, and Hades let out a snort that earned him a glower from Demeter. 

“Hermes control her,” she said, waving a hand dismissively at Phoenix. 

“She’s  _ your _ daughter, Demeter,” Hermes said. His voice was stiff, but whether it was from anger or suppressed amusement nobody could tell. Demeter sighed but didn’t look surprised. 

“Great, another demigod here to try and be a hero. What do you want to do this time?” She asked, looking down at Phoenix. Phoenix wasn’t deterred, and simply put her hands on her hips and asked,

“You can control the weather?” Demeter rolled her eyes,

“Obviously,” she sighed, gesturing out the window. 

“Well, then why can’t you just make spring every year?” Phoenix asked. 

“What I do and don’t do, little girl is none of your concern,” Demeter said, her face going rather red.

“It’s ok honey,” Persephone said, kneeling down next to Phoenix. “She just doesn’t like sharing, that’s all.” Phoenix frowned.

“But, you’re supposed to share. Sharing is caring, that’s what my teacher says anyway.” Phoenix had started school at the local elementary school this year, and she came home every day full of little sayings and phrases her teacher would tell the class. Persephone smiled,

“I know honey, but some people just aren’t as good at sharing as others. It’s ok, she’ll learn in time.” Phoenix frowned, and Hermes took that opportunity to pick her back up and sit down on the couch, now keeping a firm hold on her. Persephone turned back to Demeter, who was looking furious.

“If you want to waste your life with him, be my guest.” She snapped, “I’m so done with your whining.” 

“Waste my life?” Persephone said, her voice dangerously soft. “ _ Waste _ my  _ life _ ? You sit in a cabin in the middle of nowhere growing vegetables and baking pies with no one to eat them. You spend the majority of your time criticizing your grown daughter’s relationship, just because of some bullshit,” Hermes clapped his hands over Phoenix’s ears, “That you’re mad about from more than three centuries ago. Don’t you dare criticize me about wasting my life! I have loved more deeply than you can ever imagine. I have finally found a place where I am happy, yet you’re determined to take it away. So no, if I’m wasting my life anywhere, it’s here. You can control the weather just fine without me. Why should I spend time up top when I would much rather be down below?” By the end of her speech, Persephone was breathing hard and her hands were clenched into fists. If Demeter had seemed small before, that was nothing compared to now. Persephone towered over her, and for the first time, Orpheus and Eurydice really saw her godly power in action. Demeter did the only thing she could think of and stormed out of the room. You could hear her muttering about second chances and insolent daughters as she crashed around in the kitchen. Persephone was standing very still in the middle of the room. The only person who moved was Hades, tentatively going up to her and taking her hand. At his touch, she turned and threw her arms around him, burying her face in the crook of his neck. He held her back, letting his head rest on her shoulder. They stood like that for a while, clinging to each other until Persephone looked up at him and mumbled something that made him laugh. 

Eventually, they all piled out of the house and back into the old station wagon, preparing themselves for more of Persephone’s driving. In the car on the way home, almost everyone slept. Persephone had relinquished her title of Driver to Hermes and was now sleeping in the passenger seat with her head resting on the window. Eurydice was sound asleep with her head on Orpheus’s shoulder, and eventually, her breathing and the rocking of the car lulled him to sleep as well. Even Hades was dozing, drifting in and out of consciousness as Phoenix shifted around on his lap, trying to get comfortable. Persephone had been wary about introducing Phoenix to Hades at first, but she had ended up having no choice in the matter, as the first day of fall Phoenix had skipped right up and introduced herself with her signature giant smile, leaving Hades both confused and slightly touched. They had ended up getting along very well actually and he had even admitted (once) that he quite enjoyed her company. Hermes was the only one awake, being the driver, and the one most used to staying awake long hours after he had started raising his second child. Hermes glanced around the car, smiling at what he saw. Everyone looked so peaceful as they slept, it was rather comforting actually. Hermes turned off the highway, still smiling slightly. Soon he would have to wake everyone up and start going about the day but for now, he let them sleep, safe in the knowledge that they weren’t going anywhere.

**Author's Note:**

> hope you enjoyed! Go follow me on Tumblr @pansexualandscared and scream about Hadestown with me


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